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Sprint Cup Preview for Atlanta

We have four RCR drivers going for the checkered flag in the ATL on Sunday night

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series News and Notes

Race: AdvoCare 500Date: Sunday, September 1, 2013Location: Atlanta Motor Speedway
RCR in The ATL ... In 126 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Richard Childress Racing has earned nine wins and three pole awards, including Kevin Harvick's emotional victory in the Cracker Barrel 500 on March 11, 2001. Dale Earnhardt won eight times at the Hampton, Ga.-based track under the RCR banner. Additionally, RCR boasts 29 top-five and 54 top-10 finishes at AMS and RCR-prepared Chevrolets have led 2,935 laps at the ultra-fast, 1.54-mile oval. Richard Childress, a former driver on NASCAR's senior circuit, recorded his best finish at AMS, ninth, in the Atlanta Journal 500 on Nov. 2, 1980.
RCR in the NSCS ... In 2,345 Sprint Cup Series starts dating back to 1969, RCR has amassed 103 wins, 42 pole awards, 444 top-five finishes and 933 top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 17.9 and an average finishing position of 15.8. RCR has earned 14 total championships (six Sprint Cup Series championships with Earnhardt in 1986, '87, '90,'91, '93 and '94, five NASCAR Nationwide Series titles, two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series titles and one ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards title) and was the first organization to win titles in NASCAR's three national series.
RCR Bristol Rewind ... Last weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, Paul Menard notched his sixth top-10 finish of the season (sixth-place) while Jeff Burton finished 13th. Harvick was relegated to a 34th-place result after being involved in a late-race, multi-car accident.
The Collective RCR ... Throughout the season's first 24 races, RCR's Sprint Cup Series entries have earned two wins with Harvick at Richmond International Raceway in April and in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, notched nine top-five and 23 top-10 finishes with drivers Burton, Austin Dillon, Harvick and Menard. RCR's three full-time Sprint Cup Series drivers rank fourth (Harvick), 17th (Menard) and 20th (Burton) in the driver championship point standings.

Interactive RCR ... For up-to-date news and exclusive content, visit RCR's Twitter page - @RCRracing - along with the RCR Sprint Cup Series team Twitter pages - @RCR27PMenard, @RCR29KHarvick, @RCR31JeffBurton, @RCR3ADillon and driver Twitter page @KevinHarvick. Information about the 14-time championship winning organization can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RichardChildressRacing and at www.RCRracing.com along with official driver pages: www.facebook.com/PaulMenard27,www.facebook.com/OfficialKevinHarvick,www.facebook.com/OfficialJeffBurton and www.facebook.com/austindillon3.
Catch the Action ... ESPN's live coverage from Atlanta Motor Speedway begins Sunday, Sept. 1 at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The race will also be broadcast on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

Paul Menard
No. 27 Moen/Menards Chevrolet SS

This Week's Moen/Menards Chevrolet ... Paul Menard will pilot chassis No. 403 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. This No. 27 Chevrolet SS was run previously this season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Kansas Speedway and Pocono Raceway.
Atlanta Stats... Menard has 11 starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway. His best start of 19th and best finish of fifth both came in 2010. The Wisconsin native has completed 3,527 of 3,602 laps attempted (97.9 percent) at the 1.54-mile Georgia track.
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Oval Debut ... After making two starts in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Watkins Glen International (2003 and 2005), Menard made his oval-track debut in NASCAR's premier series at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March 2006. At that appearance, he started 22nd and finished an impressive seventh.

PAUL MENARD QUOTE
Menard's Thoughts on Racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway: "Atlanta (Motor Speedway) is one of my favorite tracks. I've had some good races there in the past and we've got some momentum heading into this weekend after our sixth-place finish at Bristol (Motor Speedway). It's a track that races really well and it's a lot of fun, especially with it now being a night race. The race track itself has older pavement, which makes it hands down the raciest track we go to on the schedule. It's kind of a throw-back track that we all enjoy racing."

Kevin Harvick
No. 29 Jimmy John's Chevrolet SS

This Week's Jimmy John's Chevrolet SS at Atlanta Motor Speedway ... Kevin Harvick will pilot chassis No. 429 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in the AdvoCare 500. This RCR-prepared machine was most recently driven by Harvick to a 19th-place result at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July.

Freaky Good in the ATL ... Jimmy John's joins Harvick and the No. 29 team for their sixth of eight races during the 2013 Sprint Cup Series season. The California native earned his only Sprint Cup Series victory at the 1.54-mile quad-oval in his first start at the track, in only his third-career Series start during the 2001 season. In addition to his trip to Victory Lane, Harvick has collected five top-five and eight top-10 finishes, holds an average starting position of 18.7, coupled with an average finishing position of 19.2, has completed 97.6 percent (6,927 of 7,100) of the laps contested and is credited with 237 laps led.

Find a Jimmy John's ... Jimmy John's, known for fresh, quality products and freaky fast service, has two locations within 30 minutes of Atlanta Motor Speedway. Visit www.jimmyjohns.com to view the Jimmy John's menu, find your nearest location, order online or download the Jimmy John's mobile application.
This Just In ... Harvick will double as driver and in-race reporter during live coverage of Sunday night's 325-lap event. The RCR driver will chat with ESPN personalities during the race and provide viewers a unique look from the driver's seat.
Double Duty ... In addition to driving the No. 29 Jimmy John's Chevrolet SS in Sunday night's race, Harvick will pilot the No. 33 Bad Boy Buggies Chevrolet Camaro in the NASCAR Nationwide Series event on Saturday, Aug. 31. This race is scheduled to air live on ESPN2 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time, along with the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.
Race Rewind ... Harvick and the No. 29 team captured a fifth-place finish, and clinched a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, after leading 101 laps while battling a tight-handling condition during the 2012 edition of the AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES
Share your thoughts on racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway: "Atlanta (Motor Speedway) has been a great race track for us the last few years. The asphalt is really worn out, and the speed of the car changes a lot from the start of a run to the finish of the run. It makes for some good racing as the cars start moving around and sliding around the track."
Many drivers say the asphalt at Atlanta Motor Speedway is really worn out, and they like it that way. Do you agree? "Absolutely. You want the asphalt to be worn out. I don't know why so many tracks keep repaving without any rocks in them. Rocks wear the tires out and everyone likes to watch the cars slide around when the tires fall off."

Jeff Burton
No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet SS

This Weekend's No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet at Atlanta Motor Speedway ... Jeff Burton will race chassis No. 372 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. This No. 31 Chevrolet was utilized three times this season at Bristol Motor Speedway in March, Kentucky Speedway in June and Michigan International Speedway in August.
Featured Cat Dealers ... Yancey CAT will be featured on the deck lid of the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
•As the Caterpillar dealer serving the state of Georgia, Yancey CAT will be featured on the deck lid of the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet for Atlanta Motor Speedway's Labor Day weekend event. Preparing to celebrate 100 years in business in 2014, the employees of Yancey Bros. Co. proudly serve customers in the Construction, Roadbuilding, Mining, Aggregates and Agricultural industries by providing them with quality products, parts and service.

Career Atlanta Stats ... This weekend's 500-mile event marks Burton's 36th start at the Hampton, Ga.-based facility and his 680th-career Sprint Cup Series entry. Burton has garnered eight top-five and 14 top-10 finishes at the track and led 104 laps at the 1.54-mile oval.
Open Happiness ... Coca-Cola will be hosting their annual Coca-Cola Racing Family Ride Along on Thursday, Aug. 29 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The 10 grand-prize winners and guests from various customer and consumer promotions throughout the year will have the opportunity to take a few hot laps around AMS with the Coca-Cola Racing Family members, including Burton.
Track Walk ... The Coca-Cola Family Track Walk returns Sunday, Sept. 1 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Burton will participate in a question-and-answer session from 11:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Eastern Time. This FREE event will be open to all AdvoCare 500 ticketholders. Fans that wish to participate can access the track through Gate 15 starting at 11:00 a.m. with the green flag waving to start the walk at 11:30 a.m.

Race Rewind ... After starting from the 26th position, Burton and the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet team battled to a 12th-place finish in the 2012 AdvoCare 500 under the lights at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

JEFF BURTON QUOTE
Do you agree that Atlanta Motor Speedway isn't your typical 1.5-mile race track? "The backstretch at Atlanta Motor Speedway is short, but most of the action is in the D-shaped frontstretch. The most unique thing about Atlanta is the grip level. The grip level is just so different from all these tracks that have been recently repaved. I always like to say that Atlanta has multiple personalities. The difference between the handling of the car in race and qualifying trim is amazing. When you make a qualifying run you attack the track, but in race trim you run it smooth; similar to the way we used to run Darlington Raceway in the 1990's. Atlanta is a fun race track because it has multiple grooves, but it is challenging because the car's handling changes so much throughout a run."

Austin Dillon
No. 33 AdvoCare Chevrolet SS

This Week's AdvoCare Chevrolet SS at Atlanta Motor Speedway ... Austin Dillon will pilot chassis No. 418 in the AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Dillon drove this Chevrolet SS to a 26th-place finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July and an 11th-place finish at Michigan International Speedway in June. This former No. 27 entry was also driven by teammate Paul Menard to a 13th-place finish in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May and a 17th-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway in April.
Dillon at Atlanta Motor Speedway ... Although Sunday's AdvoCare 500 marks Dillon's first Sprint Cup Series start at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the 23-year-old driver is scheduled to make his second NASCAR Nationwide Series start at the 1.54-mile track on Saturday evening. He finished sixth in last year's event. The 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion also has two Truck Series starts to his credit, finishing sixth in September 2011 and 10th in March 2010.
Welcome to the AdvoCare 500 ... Dillon and the RCR team will sport the colors of award-winning premier health and wellness company AdvoCare on the No. 33 Chevrolet SS at Atlanta Motor Speedway. AdvoCare will also serve as event title sponsor for Sunday's Sprint Cup Series race. AdvoCare offers nutrition, weight loss, energy and sports performance products of the highest quality developed through comprehensive research and backed by a Scientific and Medical Advisory Board. Dillon trains with AdvoCare products throughout the week and is a distributor as well. For more information about Dillon's favorite products, including Spark, Rehydrate, meal replacement bars and Post-Workout Recovery, visit http://www.AdvoCare.com.
Last Time Around ... In his last Sprint Cup Series start, Dillon posted a 14th-place finish at Michigan International Speedway on Aug. 18 as a substitute driver for the recovering Tony Stewart in a Stewart-Haas Racing entry. The Welcome, N.C., driver has made a total of eight Sprint Cup Series starts this season.
Double Duty ... In addition to competing in Sunday's Sprint Cup Series race, Dillon is scheduled to drive the No. 3 AdvoCare Chevrolet Camaro in the Nationwide Series on Saturday, August 31. The race is scheduled to air live on ESPN2 on Saturday beginning at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

Meet Dillon ... Dillon is scheduled to greet race fans in the AdvoCare Fan Zone display in the Midway of Atlanta Motor Speedway at 1:20 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturday, Aug. 31.

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE
You finished in the top-five in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway last year. What does it take to run well there? "I think the grip level is key at Atlanta Motor Speedway. You have to really get after it, stay consistent and not slip the tires. The drivers who have been able to find a line right around the bottom have been very successful. We were able to come from almost a lap down to third last year in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race once we figured out a few things with the car, and I think some of those same things we learned will be useful to us this year in both the Nationwide race and the Sprint Cup Series race. Hopefully, we can have a good run."